Whispers in the Wind
by Nyabi
Summary: The wind knows everything about Jack even before he became a guardian, and if you listen close enough it will tell you his stories. It always has.
1. Unique Artist

**Soo…. long time no see? Well I have a full explanation before you kill me.**

 **Life**

 **Yup. Life's a bitch and well I have a full explanation on my tumblr ( I have that now nyabi132) I actually post fanfiction on that faster than I do here! SO if you feel like it go check it out, but all the content I post there will be posted here.**

 **Anyway, I'm back and decided to re-debut myself with a new fandom. I'll finish my Naruto fic when the need arises but not now. I'm also not betaing. I'm actually coming out of my Naruto phase and need sometime to 're-find' my love for another fandom, so I'm here with a RotG oneshot series! So let's give it a shot!**

 **I am also accepting prompts! So PM me or comment a prompt and I will try my best to fulfill it. This first one is a prompt all my own, but I will give you the user to the prompts I will be doing. I'll also accept prompts on tumblr, so feel free to send it there.**

 **Diclamer: I don't own RotG so yeah.**

 **Unique Artist**

Jack has travelled a lot in his 300 years of impromptu isolation. He had the Wind to fly him any place it wanted to take him. He never cared where he went. He just let the Wind take him wherever he needed to go and spread a little snow. It wasn't like he had any obligations anyway, his schedule was always free. So wherever Jack needed to spread his snowdays, the wind would take him there. He often circled the globe to do his rounds of said snow spreading, routes of which were agreed upon by the other three seasonal spirits.

Despite popular belief, they actually didn't bother each other much. That isn't to say they liked each other, but they had a respect for each other's work, because they had similar jobs, and did their seasonal bidding where it made sense. For example, the spirit of summer wouldn't make it hot in the Himalayas and the spirit of winter wouldn't make it snow in July, unless it was supposed to snow in certain areas. They wouldn't get in each other's way and if they happened to cross paths, they wouldn't even blink at the other's direction. Just keep going. It was pointless to fight, they were immortal anyway and they sort of needed one another to flow into the seasons correctly. Plus they all had their own ways of knowing where their magic needed to be spread, weather it be the clouds or the wind. They understood that sometimes their fellow seasonals had reasons for what they did where they did it. They weren't so gung ho about their seasons that they'd hurt one another for it. So they would accept the rare occasion of snow in mid fall or a bit of heat in December.

Anyway, Jack spread winter and snow all over the world for a very long time. He's seen almost every place there is to see. From snowy tundras, to deserts. Although he only passes through those at night, he can't really take too much heat. All the natural landscapes were beautiful. Flowers and sunsets, and the night sky with all the twinkling stars. From silver linings to the sun hitting a glacier or the water or even his ice just right.

Not only that, but he also has seen modern culture develop. People were forever changing, and technology was evolving. As the years progressed, bigger and more modernized buildings and inventions were made. Watching cities be built and people go about their different lives. It's amazing how none of them ever did the same exact thing everyday and a routine would never once be repeated exactly. There was always something different.

Just like two snowflakes were ever the same.

With so many references there never would be two of the same kind of snowflake. It was impossible for Jack to think of the same thing twice when he thought about one topic it would flurry into a billion things that associated with it.

Jack loved drawing them too, albeit he never had the time to make every little snowflake, just the ones he likes most. He'd draw them in the frost on a window or in a little never ending notebook he kept in his hoodie pocket. He'd never put words to the snowflake, because the drawing was enough. It was unique and it told exactly what or whom it was based off of.

It was also a way to spend the summer months when snow wasn't often needed or when he just had nothing to do and was bored. He'd draw whatever was on his mind into a snowflake. It was a good way of remaining positive, or at least not brooding about his seemingly sempiternal loneliness.

It became like a habit more than a hobby. As a winter spirit he was supposed to be cold and emotionless. Jack was a bit wayward though. He wasn't so much cold and emotionless as he was fun and mischievous. But it wasn't often that he expressed deep emotions with anyone, it was just his nature. But there were tell-tale signs of what he was actually feeling and people who knew him knew what they were. Like when he was bored he'd draw snowflakes.

But no one really knew him.

So when he was at the North Pole with nothing to do, because he'd already pranked the yetis one too many times today, and froze a bit too many elves for Phil's liking - even though sometimes he was grateful for not having to deal with those delusional imbeciles. He was sent to an area in the globe room as to not disturb anyone and to wait for North.

It was late spring and he didn't have much to do, and he didn't want to be in a hot place, so North decided that he should come to the work shop and just relax there for a while. Keyword: decided. Jack really didn't have a choice.

But the big man was now working on toys leaving Jack to his devices. Which didn't turn out to be such a good idea, because it left many toys to be broken. Not enough to set the ever busy yetis behind schedule, but enough to have North reinforce punishment. North was not going to act like a parent, though he should, he never did. Jack was 300 years old and capable of taking care of himself, but when it came to his own work, he felt it acceptable to lay down some rules. Even if he secretly did find some pranks funny, if he messed up the work by accident consequences would be reinforced to make sure it didn't happen again.

He sat at the window sill and absently frosting the window beside him deciding to make another base snowflake. He sketched on the window sill and his frost made it fairly easy to erase and he made multiple angles in different patches of frost. He didn't know what he was drawing but he'd know once he finished. When he finished a rough sketch on the windowsill, he transferred it to his never ending notebook so he could add details. Every so often trying the designs on the windows first, as to avoid most eraser marks on the paper.

He didn't get to finish because he felt someone walk into the area he was currently occupying and he turned around. But instead of a large Russian, or fury beast, there was an anthropomorphic rabbit. That threw Jack a bit for a loop, but he guessed it wasn't unnatural to see the rabbit here. It was a few weeks after Easter, and he could sometimes find the bunny hanging around North's workshop for insight with his fellow guardian.

"Hey Bunny. What's up?" Jack greeted casually and letting his notebook slip between him and the windowsill absently.

"I'm 'ere on b'half o' North, ya gumby." the rabbit said crossing his arms and standing a bit taller.

" But it's May. North can't be busy." Jack said and cocked his head in a curious jester.

"Do ya know how many toys ya broke, Frostbite?" Bunny continued ignoring Jack. So that's what this was about. It was really not a big deal. He hadn't seen the Russian after the incident, but he figured on of his furry helpers told him. Bunny must have been there when he did and when North decided to blow it off like he'd normally do, Bunny didn't like it. The rabbit always had a way of staying on track, no matter what. North wouldn't do anything in this situation, but Bunny would.

"As I said it's May. It doesn't matter now." Jack said and nodded his head as if agreeing with himself and started to focus his attention back on his highly detailed snowflake. Though he missed Bunny's indigent stare.

"That ain't the problem." Bunny hopped a few steps forward. He wasn't even sure that Jack was listening to him. "Ya could've set 'im behind schedule."

"And if I did, why isn't he the one telling me off?" Jack asked not looking up from his notebook. Bunny let his ears flatten against his head. Bunny swore he acted more like a 15 year old then a 317 year old.

"But what if it did? 'e'd 'ave ta fix the error and couldn't come 'ere ta tell ya off." Bunny reasoned.

"It's May." Jack said again but distantly and half heartedly, he'd make this line just right- And just like that his notebook was yanked away by a furry paw.

"Hey!" he said and looked at the irritated bunny, " I was doing something!" he said and stood up and grabbed his staff that was leaning against the wall and glared at the rabbit.

"Fer ye're season?" The rabbits asked in a neutral voice.

"Well yeah, sort of." Jack said like it was obvious. It really wasn't, but he's been working on that snowflake for well over an hour dammit. It's not like it mattered though. No one actually cared what they looked like, it was just him who'd ever know what they truly looked like and represented. Bunny wasn't ruining anything but his pride. And one and a half hours of drawing.

"Did I mess you up?"

"Yes, you did."

"Why are ya so mad. _It's only May_." That made Jack stop. Bunny was trying to prove a point. And he did. Jack suppressed the urge to roll his eyes.

"Okay, you proved your point. But I doubt North would want any of my help, I would offer it, but I'd probably make it worse. Then he'd really be behind. And for the record the season could've went on without that." Jack said and Bunny raise a brow and looked at the book. "I mean I don't need it, but I'm not finished yet so can I have it back." Jack said rather then asked. He knew bunny would give it back. He wasn't really paying attention to what the rabbit was doing as he turned back to the window sill.

"Are these snowflakes, Frostbite?" the rabbit asked and Jack swung around seeing Bunny flip through the pages of the incredibly detailed designs. Bunny would be lying if he said he wasn't impressed, though he wouldn't admit to any kind of talent, beside freezing stuff, the kid had. The detail in each one was insane. He looked up and the frost teen shrugged.

"I got bored." the rabbit looked at him more which made him slightly uncomfortable. "It's really nothing." Then the rabbit spotted the planning in frost behind the winter spirit. In the temperatures at the North pole it wasn't unbelievable that the frost stayed longer than usual.

"Fer nothing, it sure took a ton o' planning, mate." Bunny said matter of factly gesturing his head to the frost pictures behind him.

"I just didn't want to get smudges on the paper." Jack said because it was the truth. His lack of urgency made it easy to believe. Still deep down he was embarrassed someone had seen his private collection of 'special snowflakes'.

"These are pretty detailed too. Must've taken some effort." the rabbit raised a brow. It was pretty interesting, Jack's comebacks weren't as snarky as before. He wanted to see where this went.

Jack only shrugged "Not really. They aren't really anything like yours or Norths." Then Jack laughed a little, but there was no bitterness to it, or maybe a little. "Heck, no one even seems to care how they look." There was some silence between the two for a bit then.

"North would take ya." Bunny said, and it through Jack for a loop.

"Huh?" was all he could answer with a surprised and curious blick.

"North would like ye're designs, mate." Bunny rephrased "So do I." he smirked at the shocked and disbelieving stare the frost teen was giving him. It was priceless seeing the usually carefree but guarded face so not.

"Wha- You don't- it's not-" If Bunny wasn't getting a kick out of this before he sure was now. See the gracefully smug winter spirit trip over his words was a sight, and a funny one to someone who had a relationship with him like Bunny. He started to laugh and clutching his stomach.

"Wha? Bunny stop laughing! That was a joke right?" Bunny's laughing died a bit after a while. He looked at the frost teen who had his eyes cast to the side. "You and North… wouldn't really..?" He mumbled off the rest, but Bunny knew where it was going. In the three years he's known the winter spirit - and like _really_ known him - he could tell when a few things were off. But Bunny wasn't much of a comforter, that wasn't his type. So he tapped his foot twice and a rabbit hole opened beneath Jack and the unsuspecting teen fell through, he heard the indigent gasp and rolled his eyes with a smirk Bunny let himself fall through too.

When they emerged through the hole into the warren Jack seemed to have caught his balance again and gracefully landed on his staff balancing on the hook part.

"What was that for kangaroo?" Jack asked looking at the rabbit who just grabbed him by the hood and ignored the protests and threats of being frozen. He was finally placed down near the paintriver under a shady tree and there were paint brushes in a jar with some paints around it.

"What the heck! Why are we here?" Jack said head and eyes following the rabbit from his place on the grass as he sat next to him and Jack continued to glare at him.

"Would'ja quit complain'en, Frostbite." the anthropomorphic rabbit said irritably and Jack promptly shut up. Bunny looked around for a second and picked up an egg. As he turned around Jack looked at him with an unamused look, which grew curious when the egg was placed in his hand. He looked back up at Bunny. "The paint brushes 're there an' ys can use the paint river fer the colours you need and ya can mix it 'ere." The rabbit put a pallet in his hand that wasn't holding the egg and pointed to the other materials and then sat down and picked up his own egg to start painting.

Jack's face turned back to the unamused look and waited for Bunny to look up again.

"Somethin' wrong, mate?" Bunny looked confused and raised a brow at the frost teen.

"Why are we here? What is this?" Jack said trying to keep his voice down which he had success in but the place where he was sitting was starting to frost over and it expanded.

"Snowflake, ye're frosting the grass." Bunny felt the need to point out and smirk.

"Okay, I'm upset. But you threw me down a hole and gave me a pallet and an egg with no context!" He didn't like telling Bunny his emotions but there was no other way for the rabbit to know. It might've not been a big deal, but Jack didn't like people knowing when he was upset when it actually mattered, because when it mattered the most it would just make others pity him and be upset that they wouldn't know how to fix it. When it was trivial matters like this, he didn't mind. He liked to think this was the worst of his problems, but it wasn't and they both knew that. But they'd pretend for as long as they could.

"There ain't no context needed, Snowflake." Bunny smirked and went back to his egg. "Jus' paint an egg." Bunny paused to think for a second "Fer North." he added

"North's not upset." Jack groaned.

"Okay, fer me." Bunny said not looking up from his egg.

"Why would you be upset?" Jack asked irritably.

"Why does someone 'ave to be upset fer ya ta do yer told?" if you listened closely you could hear the hint of exasperation.

"They don't I just don't see the point in this." Jack mumbled. But they both knew the real reason, or at least Bunny did. Jack didn't want anyone to be upset. He was the guardian of fun so obviously if no one was upset or sad he didn't have anything to work with. Bunny understood that.

"'kay, I'm upset yer talent's 're wastin' away in tha' notebook no one's gonna see." Bunny said and Jack looked away a little and Bunny sighed. "Jus' paint an egg."

"Just one egg?"

"Yeah, jus' one." Bunny agreed. And Jack picked up the paintbrush and started to paint. He decided to draw all the snowflakes that came to mind. Not anything special just to get it over with. He ambraid the background in blues, getting lighter as it went up and then in a darker blue and medium blue and white he painted snowflakes and as the background got lighter the snowflakes got small until about halfway up the egg they completely disappeared. They were fairly simple snowflakes, ones he could draw in seconds but none of them looked the same.

"There." he showed the egg to the Easter Bunny himself and he smiled a little.

"Not bad, Frostbite." Bunny smirked.

"Well, I told you I wasn't good. It's on you that you wasted one of your eggs." Jack justified before he could be accused.

"I said they were good." Bunny said with a bit of amusment.

"You said they weren't bad." Jack shot back.

"Which means they were good."

"No."

"It's the same thing."

"No it's not."

Bunny rolled his eyes. "Listen, ye're good at this." Bunny got up and walked over to Jack and knelt beside him. "And people may not see ye're snowflakes, but they aren't any less pretty, Frostbite." He handed back the notebook he'd taken earlier and went back to his spot. "Ye're allowed ta stay and paint more." Bunny said not looking at Jack and grabbing the egg he was working on instead.

And Jack did stay.


	2. Immortal Needs

**So, this was requested by a guest user. Honestly I was already working on it before it was requested so like when I saw it I was like…'well aren't you in for a treat'.**

 **Just the ending wasn't working out as well as I thought, but the issues in this will be loosely tied to ones in future one-shot/arches. Speaking of arches I am currently working on one, but I don't wanna post it until I get the whole thing done. In the meantime, how about we just focus on these little one shots.**

 **Also, big shout out to my first reviewer:** **sparklehannah. You're super sweet! I will make sure to do my bes to keep up with your expectation.**

 **Also regarding seasonal spirits and stuff. I'm not really big on OCs so I'll try to keep them to a minimal. Although I do have them, they are minor. And also on the note of seasons, regarding the weather patterns, well that is explained as I go along. I know the weather in the Northern and Southern hemisphere are opposite, and realized I didn't explain Jack's method of working very well in the past story, so there is a small explanation here. You see, I don't feel like making a whole separate one shot for the explanation of them, there will be small bits of explanations as I go. These are all in the same timeline, I will mention things from previous chapters, because they are all loosely connected.**

 **But for those of you who like seasonal stuff, I do have one that is more heavily based on the theme. Except it is different, but it's turning out to have more explination for the stuff then I expected.**

 **Hope you enjoy ;)**

 **Immortal Needs**

Eating and sleeping were not foreign things to Jack, so much as they were unneeded. He acknowledged they existed, but he never needed it before. Only when he was hurt, which wasn't that often. He travelled the world and it was mostly at night when he started his work of frosting windows his beautiful frost patterns and icing lakes solid so kids wouldn't fall through and making the entire landscape a winter white wonderland. Sometimes he'd be privileged enough to play with the kids (that couldn't see him) in snowball fights or sled rides, if it was day.

It's what he'd been doing for 300 years. He didn't know how big of an impact it had on him, until he became a guardian.

 _Hunger (_ _noun)-a feeling of discomfort or weakness caused by lack of food, coupled with the desire to eat._

It wasn't like he needed it anyway. He was immortal, it wouldn't do much if he ate- even if most spirits do it anyway. He didn't follow the same human requirements to survive. Although he did wonder sometimes what the immortal requirements to survive were. The gnawing for hunger or the lull of sleep didn't ever come to him, so he never thought about it. And with his job taking up the majority of his time, he really found no room to revel in the luxury of sleep or indulge in the privilege to eat. Besides, he wouldn't even know how to acquire said privilege. If he did happen to come across a scrap of food he'd either ignore it or give it to a starving child on the side of the street - foster home systems were seriously screwed up sometimes. He was fully against stealing, his hoodie wasn't even an acception, it was thrown out in the middle of the woods by some campers and they didn't come back for it.

There were two reasons he took the hoodie in the first place. One was the fact that his brown cloak was unravelling at the seems literally. He could've gone on in his worn off white t-shirt, but he was aware of how alarmingly skinny he was, not that he'd ever care, but he just felt exposed. The cloak had given him some coverage of his actual body size, but without it he knew he looked frail. Even if no one could see him, he didn't like the fact he looked as such. So when he put on the hoodie and it made him look, _not_ frail and was a bit bulky so it did make it appear he was a healthy size and weight for a person his age - or his physical age, his technical age wasn't relevant. Plus, it was blue - that probably was the real reason he took it.

He didn't need food, but he didn't know it had an affect on his body. He never got hungry, but he didn't notice the slight thinning. He was skinny to begin with so he wouldn't notice his loss of weight. Not unless he was someone else, and no one ever saw him.

When he was alone those first 300 years, he just threw himself into work after 50 years of realizing he was invisible. He would go wherever the wind took him and he'd make a snow day wherever it'd stop. Then it was back to the sky. He never thought about needing to rest or eat, and the habit just stuck with him even as he transitioned into making friends with all the guardians. So when he was in North's workshop, just flying around on an air current and pulling a few pranks here or there, never really doing much just passing the time until the wind told him it was time to go. It was summer though, so the wind had died down more than it would in the colder half of the year.

He'd go to North's workshop to escape the summer heat, but North and his yetis were still warm-blooded creatures and the North pole was very cold - Bunny over exaggerated the temperature sometimes though, in Jack's opinion. To keep the warm blooded creatures warm, North would put raging fires in his fireplaces and they were huge and _hot_ \- Jack over exaggerated their temperature though, in Bunny's opinion.

Jack had gotten a bit hot, so he decided to take off his hoodie and just roam around in his t-shirt. Phil, who had already seen the winter teen without the hoodie on multiple occasions, rolled his eyes as he grumbled something for the winter spirit to come down.

"You're just upset that I got you with ice water again." Jack grinned down at him. And Phil grumbled something about being too afraid to come down and face consequences.

"You know ice water wouldn't work on me." said as he sat casually on a banister, one leg dangling and his staff in his lap. "I'm not affected by cold." He snorted, and Phil grumbled something about fire and _heat_.

"Awww, Phil you don't mean that." Jack said mocking hurt knowing the yeti wouldn't do anything to harm him, but he would play along. Phil grumbled some more about being serious, but that was when North walked in.

He looked happy, before he looked up.

It wasn't the fact that his head yeti was soaked in ice cold water, nor was it the fact the person who did the soaking was perfectly okay and hanging on the banister. This was normal. Phil scolding Jack for pranks he pulled through out the workshop - though it amused North cause Jack would pull it as far as he could go without disrupting production. No, it was the fact that a certain prankster wasn't wearing his hoodie.

He was all for Jack opening up and trusting them, and taking off a hoodie wasn't a big deal in the least. It _normally_ wouldn't be. North never thought about it much, what Jack looked like under the hoodie, but he never thought he'd be so skinny, and _frail._

"Hey, North." Jack said with a mischievous grin and let the air current take him to hover near North without touching the ground. "What's up?" he asked casually when he noticed North lost his cheer he swung his staff casually across his thin shoulders.

"Jack...where is your hood?" he pointed to the boy's torso with a raised eyebrow and Jack looked down.

"It was hot." he shrugged. "I took it off."

"You could have opened window, no?" North said.

"Yeah, well the wind doesn't have work for me today and that means there's not enough wind to make it cold." the winter teen explained casually. Honestly it was less than 0 degrees outside, what exactly _did_ Jack frost consider _cold_. North had a sinking feeling he didn't want to know.

"Well, you very skinny. Why not eat cookie?" North boomed and was asking a yeti to bring a tray of them.

"No, North you really dont-" He was cut off when North started to shout orders and snuck glimpses at his skinny form.

"Bah, nonsense! You eat good, da?" he said loudly and ordered more cookies. The elves brought them but Jack pushed them away.

"I'm not hungry." He said flatly. But North brushed him off and picked up a cookie.

"Bah, you eat no?" he said again as he pushed the treat closer to the winter spirit. Jack leaned away.

North continued to eye Jack's slim form, and that was making Jack uncomfortable. So Jack did what he always did when he was uncomfortable. High tail it out of there.

"Well North, nice seeing you." he said casually, making sure not to show his discomfort as he flew up to the banister and grab his hoodie and put it on. He then proceeded to fly out the window and not wait for North to reply.

 _That's the last time I take off my hoodie in front of North._

 _Tired (Adjective) - in need of sleep or rest; weary._

He never was tired much. Only when he got seriously hurt or sick he'd lay in a snowbank and rest. Other then that he never felt the urge to sleep; he'd have a dreamless sleep anyway - unless Sandy or Pitch knocked him out. But other than healing he found no point.

Just like eating, it wouldn't have a big affect on his immortal self. But it did have an impact. He'd developed bags under his eyes from centuries of minimal sleep. But they were easily not noticeable in the direct sunlight, and it didn't matter anyway - _no one could see him_.

It was night time in Vietnam. He honestly wasn't supposed to be here, but he could - after all the country was a little colder tonight then other nights. He'd do a light frosting to pass the time. Also, it took his mind off the situation with North.

He'd taken the hoodie to avoid situations like the one he'd found himself in with North. He knew he looked like a skeleton, but he didn't want people to judge him for it. He never found the point in himself eating if he wasn't gonna gain anything by it, not even a few pounds.

He was so frustrated, and he didn't even know why. Maybe it was the bottled up emotions from the past 300 years. Tonight though he was not gonna have any of it. He wasn't in the mood to get emotional.

Another thing about being colder than ice, it tended to freeze over your emotions as well. Which worked out for Jack; he didn't like showing weakness anyway.

So Jack dealt with this the same way he dealt with all his negative feelings: finding a distaction. Usually that meant blizzards, but Vietnam was not cold enough for that. No place really was right now, except for the year round tundras like antarctica. Luckily he didn't have to make a distraction, because they came to him. In the specific form of sand strings. He wondered if Sandy wanted a little chat.

"Hey Sandy." he said as he flew up to the dream cloud. The little man looked happy to see him and waved enthusiastically. Then a question mark was above his head as if asking what he was doing here.

"Nothing much, just bored." Jack said and Sandy urged him to sit next to him while he did his rounds, which is what Jack was slightly hoping for. He sat down on the dream sand and crossed his legs with his staff laying across them.

Sandy looked content and continued on his way around the world, since he was done with this village anyway. It wasn't until halfway to the third village that he noticed.

Jack had been quieter then normal, saying a few things here and there, but never really speaking much. Sandy turned to ask him what was wrong and that is when he noticed.

His sand had a warm glow to it. Bright but not blindingly so. It was easier to look at then the sun and highlighted one's face differently then it too. So it was alarmingly easy to notice the dark bags under the winter teens eyes.

Sandy quickly got the winter spirit's attention, not wanting to hold back any longer. It looked like Jack hadn't slept in ages. Sandy was just like Tooth was to flossing, in regards to sleep. He wanted to make sure everyone had their 8 hours worth, even during Christmas or Easter bustle, he'd drop by and knock out his fellow Guardians every time he felt they weren't sleeping well. But he couldn't do it to Jack now, not so suddenly. He wanted to see what was wrong first. He made z's with his sand and Jack looked up at him, slightly exasperated and a half eye roll that really did make him look like a teenager instead of a 300 year old spirit.

"You too? I'm fine, I don't need sleep." Sandy for one looked like he'd been hit, but in a much more exaggerated manner that made Jack smile a bit mischievous. Sandy gave a small smile. That's one of the things he liked about Sandy, he didn't make a big deal of everything. But then the golden man's expression turned serious. And he made a sign that was like saying ' _but seriously when was the last time you slept.'_ Jack furrowed his brow.

"At least you're more cool about it than North." Jack mumbled and sandy raised an eyebrow and Jack gave another smile then said to him " Oh come on. It's not that big a deal...right?" Sandy made a candy cane appear above his head, like he was demanding to know what North did or said. Jack sighed.

"He was just a bit worried about my … eating habits. It's not a big deal." he shrugged. Figured. North was probably just as worried as he was about Jack's health, he just was - as Jack put it - 'more cool'. He wanted to smile, but he knew he shouldn't right now. He made more z's and pointed to his sand cloud. He expected Jack to roll his eyes and decline, but the winter spirit only got up and said he needed to go.

Jack was smart. He'd give him that. And the sand ball in his hands disintegrated.

Bunny knew someone had arrived. And he knew exactly who, by the chill in the air and the smell of peppermint and fresh pine - which wasn't a bad scent, Bunny rather enjoyed it, it's what came with it.

"What are ya doin' 'ere, Frostbite?" he said before the winter child landed in front of him. He looked exasperated, and irritable.

Jack for one, didn't know why he was there himself. He guessed he didn't want to be alone, nor did he want the constant nagging or questioning.

"I'm bored." he said simply and Bunny seemed amused. That wasn't a line he heard often from the frost teen.

"Then draw or somethin'." Jack looked away for a second, as if saying _wrong answer_ in a timid voice. Bunny waited a minute, looking at how the frost teen played with the hem of his hoodie and he looked like he was about to fly away.

"Aren't ya 'posed ta be at the pole?" Bunny asked in an annoyed voice. Jack grimaced.

"North's being annoying." he replied like that was the answer to everything "And Sandy is nagging." he said after a moment. Bunny's ears went up. Usually the winter spirit has no trouble with the other two male guardians. They loved him and he respected them. It was Bunny that Jack usually didn't listen to.

"What for?" Bunny asked with a raised eyebrow, seeing what the dream spirit and father christmas could have done to make the winter spirit so irritable.

"North's dogging me about my weight and Sandy my sleep. Honestly I don't need that, I haven't for 300 years." Jack said quickly and looked away. Bunny suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. It was now that Jack reminded him of a rebelling teen than anything else he might be.

"Well, of course ya gumby. They're worried!" He said and Jack looked like he'd been struck and averted his eyes in guilt as he silently played the word on his tongue like he didn't believe him. "Fer someone so old, ya act like a tyke." Bunny said and Jack stuck out his tongue and laughed when the Pooka jumped and started to chase after him, conversation seemingly forgotten.

But if Jack nibbled on a cookie at North's shop, or dozed on sandy's cloud for a few hours - no one noticed. Maybe the two elder guardians would smile. Jack was still learning, it was best to take small steps.

 **Poor Bunny! Sorry I really love the brotherly bond between Jack and Bunny. You will see I lean more toward that in all of my stories. I tried not to in this one, but I couldn't resist. Sorry.**

 **But look at the Guardians trying to understand Jack and deal with his teenage angst tendencies from time to time. I love him but he can be emo boi….still love him though. Jack also trying to get a grasp on the fact he now has a family.**

 **Anyway, see you next time!**


	3. Winter Solstice

**So, hello. I've been working on the arch and it's 4 chapters. I've got two of them done, but I wanna post them all at once. The other two are currently being written and I wanted to put the first two under revision. So that'll take a while, I'm hoping to post them sometime in the next two weeks. Maybe I'll post them individually and not all at once if they are taking too long.**

 **In the meantime, here's something to chew on until I'm done. Slightly longer than my first two, but it does give you a good view of how I wanted Jack's seasonal job as well as the rest of the seasonals depicted. Hope you enjoy!**

 **Winter Solstice**

Winter was _his_ season. He was working on a 24 hour clock and had no shift subs - no one else could make it snow and he couldn't just stop. He was the only seasonal spirit for winter - _The Spirit of Winter_ \- so he was the only one who could fulfill Mother Nature's requirements for winter. Although Mother Nature was as much of a phrase in the spirit world as in the mortal world. The phrase ' _Mother Nature_ ' was actually referring to a collective group of seasonal and elemental spirits.

The role he'd been assigned; the job that he was created for, there was an entire season he had to keep track of. As much as he wished it was not, and no matter how nochelant or easygoing or free spirited he acted, winter was hard work. Not that he'd ever admit it.

He was thrown around the world by the wind creating blizzards and snow days. Jack knew where to go because he didn't. The wind flung him around and he wouldn't try to control it, it would take him exactly where he needed to go, and if he _wanted_ to go somewhere the wind would let it ride an air current. It was sort of like a deal - Jack would do the wind's bidding of snow and cold, and the wind would in turn provide transportation and - to Jack - fun. The wind had never trusted anybody else like he trusted Jack. Not even Father Winter - the now retired winter spirit was probably sleeping in a glacier for eternity.

Anyway, it was safe to say some years were more hectic than others. And with Jack's luck it was _very_ hectic this year. It had been a few months since they had defeated Pitch. It was also the first winter the winter spirit would be spending with the Guardians. Or rather not. The wind barely gave him time to make sure all the lakes in each town was solid ice - so no kids would fall through. It had been flinging him around the world like a rag doll for the past 3 days, non stop.

He wasn't the only one who was busy. It was three weeks before Christmas, so North was hustling to get stuff done too. And the last time Jack had been to the workshop, North had been swamped. Since Pitch ruined Easter, he was determined to make this the best Christmas in a long time. Bunny had even helped out and Tooth came in and out to help too - leaving her fairies on mostly autopilot. Sandy even dropped in and left 24 times a day - for the different time zones- to quickly spread dream sand throughout the world's time zones. Jack would drop in every now and then and help paint or wrap a present - making Jack busier than he'd ever been. He wouldn't stay long, but none of the Guardians seemed to notice, they all were far too busy.

Finally the wind had died down and carressed Jack, as if saying it was time for a break. Jack let out a breathe he didn't know he was holding and the wind was already pushing him towards the pre-set destination until Christmas.

oOoOo

 **December 4**

The Guardians, were currently taking a break. They had been running thesleves ragged the past week, now it was only 3 more weeks til' Christmas. They decided a 20 minute break wouldn't kill them - Phil's glare at them from across the room that said _if you so much as move I will maim you_ might have.

Bunny was warming his feet near the fire. Sandy was drinking his third glass of eggnog. And North was eating cookies.

Tooth shut her eyes a bit. She felt like she was forgetting something, but she had left Tooth Palace in good hands - Baby Tooth was capable of just about anything with her fiercely determined attitude. She was getting daily reports twice a day, and everything was in order.

"Mm, hey where's Jack?" Tooth asked as her eyes grazed over the other Guardians.

"Winter Spirit is busy during winter. No?" North replied chomping on his thirteenth cookie. Tooth looked thoughtful.

"I guess so." she seemed more distracted. There was just something that bothered her. When was the last time Jack was here?

Her thoughts were cut off by a strong gust of wind blowing open the large windows and a bunch of snow came in. With it a white haired teen. Think of the devil and he shall return - or something like that.

"Watch where ye're snowing, Frostbite!" Bunny yelled turning to reprimand the winter spirit. Jack gave his mischievous smile a beat too late for Tooth's liking . The boy looked like a mess. Hair more messy than usual, clothes hanging off of him in a frantic way. He was slightly out of breath, and the bags under his eyes told them he could use sleep, but didn't desperately need it.

Seasonal spirits went non-stop when their season rolled around. They would usually be on an adrenaline high throughout their season but then started to burn out when there was a week or two left of it. If the season was busy enough they wouldn't be heard of for the next 2-7 days after they wrapped up their season. Winter and Summer were the more busy seasons, Spring and Fall were more like transition seasons. Spring cleaning up the snow and having new plants grow, and Fall cleaning up the plants and getting the land ready for the more frigid temperature. They weren't as busy as Summer and Winter. Summer had to make sure the heat was at a good temperature and the clouds were angled right, so that more things could grow. Winter had to make sure snow and cold and ice got to where it needed to be. When their seasons were over for the rest of the world they would switch hemispheres - but usually the world was on a universal season timer - or go do their year-round jobs -like summer would go to the desert and winter would go to the poles and mountains. A seasonal spirit's work was never ever done.

Jack had more energy than most seasonal spirits do - in their season - out of his season. So the guardians were somewhat curious what Jack was like _in_ his season. Usually the frost child was playful and mischievous. They were looking forward to seeing him in work mode - especially Bunny. But unfortunately they've been so busy they've forgotten that part. Seasonal adrenaline only went through the spirits because their body was built to be in full swing for a few months and then they lightly use their powers during the rest of the year to store their full powers during their season. It was an automatic thing, so Jack had no choice but to be in work mode.

The thing is, Jack didn't very abnormal about it. He acted like he always did, they figured the lack of pranks were just a sign of respect towards North; so his ice didn't mess anything up. They had no idea how much Jack was extending himself just to spend a few minutes.

OoOoO

 **December 13**

He was starting to feel a little useless looking at the others. Bunny was here mostly full time - he had to check on his googies every now and then. Tooth was here half-time - to go check on her fairies. And Sandy was here, like quarter time, but still that was more than him. If they were going by proportions Jack assumed he'd be there like less than 5 percent of the time.

He just stopped by and checked through North's prototypes. Jack interacts with the kids more than the other guardians, and he was a kid - well compared to them he was and he had the body of a 17 year old, that isn't an adult quite yet. So he'd be the perfect person to look over his plans and make any last minute adjustments to make the toys a little more modern. Jack would quickly look over the plans and would jot down some notes, since most of the time North wasn't in the office.

The previous week he'd go through the workshop from the globe room, but this week was even more demanding in his seasonal job then last week. He opened a window in North's office so he could go in and out. He had 20 minutes at most. The wind would bang on the windows if her took any longer. He had no time to say hi to the yetis or other Guardians or sneak a cookie. He had to be as productive as possible. He wouldn't let them down. Even if he couldn't see them, he'd do his job and make them proud. Plus they'd know if he dropped by and understood if he couldn't say hello. They had enough common sense that he couldn't hunt for them and be efficient at the same time. They weren't in North's office when he came, but they knew he'd come by the chill in the air and the note he left behind but never signed.

So as Jack flew into North's office again he was surprised to see Sandy there. Honestly, he probably shouldn't have been so surprised. Sandy was probably the only other guardian who kept up with modern culture. He gave dreams to kids, so he'd know what they want more then even him.

"Hey Sandy. How's it going?" He flew over to look at what the golden man was working on. Sandy waved and pointed happily to the paper waving them around in excitement and making sand symbols above his head that Jack's slightly slower than usual mind could barely keep up.

"Yeah, okay should I check on the boat then." His voice was raspier due to disuse and his winded composer. Sandy made a question mark and had a concerned look on his face, the papers in his hand following his arms and going down with them. Excitent was gone now. He was worried.

"I'm fine, it's just the cold rush." the winter teen said and couldn't help but through a careless smile before he turned to the oversized paper with a boat on it. Sandy shrugged and turned back to his paper, but did sneak glances at the winter spirit

It was ironic how the two who interacted the most with children were the two that had to do their jobs alone all year round. But Jack guessed that's what made their jobs the best - in his opinion.

It was probably the reason they were so laid back too - especially compared to the other guardians. Now that Jack thought about it, it was sort of funny how they were the ones that should be stressing more than the rest. But Sandy never had a set time the he _absolutely_ had to spread dreams. Jack had a time to spread winter, but that was over a few months. But then again Jack wasn't expected every day. If he thought about it in deadline terms, Tooth had from when the kid put the tooth under to pillow to when they wake up, Bunny had Easter and North had Christmas. Sandy and him didn't really have a set time they just came and went. Sandy had a routine though, so he never needed to stress much. Jack just let the wind pull him wherever he needed to go, so he never had to think about where he was missing; the wind was rarely ever wrong.

He knew he should feel the pressure of spreading winter now - like Bunny and North - but he only felt a little more stressed than usual. That was because he didn't have a down time and the fact he had to take his job more seriously then he ever had before - and he took it pretty damn seriously before. This was his first winter with the guardians, the first time anyone had ever saw what he actually does. What he actually brings to the world. He wasn't gonna screw up.

The wind banged on the window and Jack was lifted in the air, he barely had time to look back as he hung on to the window.

"Bye Sandy, gotta blast. The boats could use some guns though." He said quickly as he let go and let the wind carry him away.

Sandy had an incredulous look on his face before shaking his head and looking over to Jack slightly rushed handwriting. It wasn't messy at all, but Jack usually had far neater handwriting than this.

OoOoO

 **December 17**

Jack was getting restless. He had more time the past two days the wind had dropped him off for half a day and didn't call him that much. Jack just knew this was the calm before the storm. He knew for a fact that his busiest was from the Winter Solstice to half way through January.

The Winter Solstice was by far Jack's favorite and busiest time of the year. The main spirit of every season has a certain time of the year where they go into what is called a 'frenzy'. It was basically a short time period in their season when they were the most busy. Usually it was tiring, but this is when their seasonal adrenaline peaked. How long the time period lasted depended on the actual personality and natural energy they had. For Spring and Fall it started at their equinoxes and usually they could burn through a week at most. The Summer Spirit had the Summer Solstice - the longest day of the year - but it was a slow the heat would usually last a month, but expelling heat wasn't that hard, it was a slow burn - pun not intended. Jack's was the Winter Solstice, the shortest and darkest day of the year. His frenzy usually lasted from the Solstice to mid-January, and every season could agree his was harder than most. Because Jack had so much natural energy he'd be all over the place. His storms were huge, and he practically covered the globe in white.

Jack never had anyone to monitor his behavior though. He only knew nothing mattered except snow and ice and storms and blizzards and snow and cold and frost and snow and freezing water and snow snowsnow _snow._ He didn't any attention to _not_ focus on _just winter._ Cause his first instinct during that time was _Winter._ Not the fun of it.

He was worried that someone would get hurt, more so now than ever, because for a short time he lost his center and all that mattered was _blizzardcoldSNOW_. The wind could barely even restrain him during that time. He shivered at the thought.

"You okay mate?" he heard an australian accent and turned toward the 6'1" rabbit looking at him his paws on a bow. He forgot that he was wrapping presents with Bunny.

"The- ...uhm just fine?" Jack said distractly and Bunny raised an eyebrow. Jack was usually a damn good lier… that was just… _pathetic._

"Nah, mate. What's got ya?" If it affected Jack's lying - even if he _was_ okay, something _wasn't_.

"It hasn't called yet." Jack whispered "What will happen when it calls." He said it to himself, Bunny was 100 percent sure he wasn't supposed to hear that. Because usually Jack wasn't one to put riddles or wordplay like that into his language when he wanted nobody to know anything. He would use snarky sarcasm, calm wit and lethargic suspense - which in Bunny's opinion was even worse than regular suspense because it was just the way the kid didn't seem like he cared but still seemed to put value to whatever he was planning like there was some hidden meaning behind what he was saying, but at the same time not, Bunny was never sure, and it gave him a headache. But in this case, Jack seemed to know what he was talking about, but only he'd know.

Jack noticed Bunny giving him an odd look and smiled "It's nothing. I just didn't expect this much downtime." He said with a smile and a barley half-truth. And it would have fooled Bunny, if the Pooka hadn't seen the slight twitch or shaking hands or tense body. Yup the kid was a mess, probably in pain, maybe. And there wasn't a thing Bunny could do about it, because as much as he wanted to he couldn't stop Jack's natural instincts for winter, and he knew he shouldn't even if he could. They were painfully necessary, Bunny understood and knew that.

He knew he couldn't get the kid to stay still or stop working. Working was the only thing keeping this place from becoming a freezer. The temperature was already low, but he would go complain about it like he usually would. Jack had wrapped ten-times as many presents as he did - it wasn't really his profession of expertise, but then again neither was it Jack's. That said as much about his Winter adrenaline - he knew that much existed because Bunny was one of the closer associated seasonal spirits, even if he wasn't one. He knew nothing about the frenzy, but he knew of the spike in power and the adrenaline and the only way to cope with it and not lose control was work and keep your mind off it. He'd just never seen it up close before, but he'd wished he didn't.

He assumed the winter season was the hardest to rangle in. He couldn't think of a better spirit to do it. Because as childish as he was, Bunny knew Jack took this seriously - he has for 300 years. And he knew Jack was more self controlled then he let on - he's never actually seen him cry or get mad or lose control at his harsh insults. He had a weird way of showing it, but he probably was more controlled of his emotions then most spirits.

But that didn't change the fact that it was a pain to keep all that power from _not_ going out of control. It must have hurt, even a little. And there's nothing Bunny or anyone else can do about it, because if there was only one thing the guardians knew they couldn't get involved in, it was seasonal duties.

OoOoO

 **December 22**

They all knew what day it was. Jack never told them it was anything special but they knew that the spring equinox was special because Bunny had mentioned it a few times. So they were absolutely positive that the Winter Solstice had to be special.

In North's - probably all the other Guardians' minds - winter could be considered Jack's 'holiday', like Christmas and Easter. Cause Jack only worked half time at the other parts of the year. The Winter Solstice officially marked that time of year, so this would be Jack's 'official holiday'. He worked like Bunny and North did on their holidays, except for a longer period of time. Just the thought made them exhausted, how did Jack do it? Then again they didn't have that burst of energy that lasted a whole season.

Problem was Jack wasn't coming back.

"Wha' tis tha anklebiter doin'? " Bunny asked. The Solstice was almost over, Jack should have been back by now, even if he was busy.

"He left two days ago Bunny. We are not his parents, he probably is _really_ busy." Tooth said, even if she fluttered by the window.

"He said he'd be back by the Solstice." It was true. Jack said he'd be back by today, mumbling something about _finally_ getting to spend it with people. He didn't say it to them, but he looked worried. It worried them how worried he was and they didn't even know what they were worrying about.

Suddenly the wind picked up outside and it got louder and louder and the windows burst open to bring the entirety of winter and it's entity. All the Phil and all the Guardians were covered in snow, as was the room they were currently in.

"There's _no snow_ there! We have to go _there_! There needs to be snow there!" Jack yelled to no one but then the windows slammed shut, as if the wind was trying to keep him there. "We have to go there _now_!" He didn't sound demanding, because Jack never demanded the wind to do anything. He didn't sound desperate though. The wind howled against the windows as if talking to Jack. He must have understood because Jack raised his eyebrow in confusion.

"What are you talking about. There is only _snow_. Nothing else matters now." Jack said quietly.

"Frostbite?" Bunny asked as he stepped closer the air around the room dropped as Jack looked at them. They couldn't tell his emotion.

"Let me out, please. There needs to be snow and the wind won't let _me_ open the window." Jack said in an almost emotionless voice.

"Jack what's going on?" Tooth asked as she fluttered near him.

"Da? Is there no problem with window?" North asked.

" _Winter_. Please let me out so I can make winter." he mumbled the last part and glanced away. There was a question mark above Sandy's head.

"Snow, and ice and cold. Winter." Jack said and mumbled "So please let me go."

"Ya can open the window yerself ya drongo." Bunny said and the wind banged on the window and Jack jumped.

"No, No. Please open it. Snow. There needs to be snow. It _needs_ to be cold." Jack said in a panicked tone. He grabbed Bunny's fur desperately and Bunny swore it was ten times colder than it normally was. The panicked look in his eye got his attention more though. Never had Bunny - nor any of the guardians really - ever seen the frost boy look so… stressed. About to lose control. Over his power. Over his emotions. Over his _season_. The one constant in his life. The one thing that never left and always has and always will be with him. The one thing that kept him sane. Jack felt like he was gonna lose it all. Bunny suddenly knew why the Winter Solstice was important. It was the one day that Jack was _Jack_ and not hiding behind a mask he used almost subconsciously.

If that window hadn't opened that night, he might have. Might have lost _his_ season.

 **OoOoO**

 **I honestly hoped you liked it, and I know I have like 3 favorites and a couple of reviews, but like I really really appreciate everyone who's done that. Like I see these fanfictions and I'm like, damn 1423 reviews. What I wouldn't give. But then their like, I've noticed you stopped reviewing so I'm losing interest. Like A.) how do you notice? And B.) who cares? So long as the people enjoying it enjoy it, then what do reviews matter. Albeit I can't stop the excitement when I look at my email and see I got a review, so I'm not immune, I'm just saying weather you get 1 review or 1000 don't ever stop writing if that's what you like to do. So long as one person is reading this and enjoying it then I'm happy.**

 **Sorry for the small rant. I just see people stop their stories or oneshot series because of this and it really gnaws at me. You know?**

 **Anyways. I put in subtle hints and foreshadows that tie into my next arch and stories. There are not very detailed elements in here that I'm gonna expand on. Some also give you clues, but I doubt you can guess what they are :3**

 **See ya next time!**


	4. Understanding: Help

**Hewwo. I figured I'd post something this week. I had no time to work on my writing for the weekend because I went to Katsucon and then my sister's Tournament/Convention. Little piece of advice for anyone who isn't physically capable of sports: don't go to a convention on** _ **any**_ **sports. I was bored out of my mind and there was no wifi at the convention so I was dead! If you hadn't guessed I liked Katsucon better.**

 **Anyway, I have all of the stories for my arch written out, I just need to re-read them, so they all should be uploaded by the end of the week. So arches are gonna go like that, I'll just upload them on the daily, but it's not for every oneshot. I like to re-read for mistakes or see if I can add anything.**

 **All of these stories in this arch can actually be stand alones, but like they all have the same general idea, which is: How Jack relates to the Guardians' problems and helps them with the knowledge he's learned from his own life.**

 **I actually got this idea from reading a bunch of fics - mainly the 5 times he did/didn't and the 1 time he did/didn't fics, you know. So a bunch of these stories my version on popular prompts that I've seen multiple times and they are re-done to show how Jack helps. Because instead of the Guardians just coddling Jack, I like to see more of how Jack helps them, because you can pick up a lot with 300 years alone. Like Jack can freaking take care of himself, he's not suddenly gonna be dependent on the Guardians because they're finally there. And it's not his personality to be wimpy about his problems and constantly use it as an excuse and I hate all the fics who depict as such. Like I like them but not that thought process you know?**

 **And do I have to put in a disclaimer? Like honestly, I will for this one, but I am too lazy to put it in the other ones, although I'm fairly certain I put it in on the first one. But come on. I know I don't own RotG and you know I don't. If I did, this wouldn't be fanfiction, now would it**

 **Sorry, I'm rambling. Enjoy your reading!**

OoOoO

 **Understanding: Help**

There was a reason he told his yeti to knock. The shattered shards of ice all over the office floor was enough of a reason to instill that rule's justification. Honestly, North never thought that they'd ever learn - probably because it was true.

Sure the yeti, whom had forgotten this highly justifiably, important rule and therefore was also the cause this mess as a result, was reprimanded and put on shoveling coal in the machinery room for at least the rest of eternity. But that didn't really help the fact that there were still 14 prototypes broken - he _really_ wish it did though. It had taken two weeks to make those prototypes. Two weeks of non-stop working with no social interaction and barely any sleep , and _a lot_ of trays of cookies - Tooth and Sandy would _not_ approve but Bunny has gone non stop for 3 weeks before so he didn't see the harm in it at first. He was so tired and he could barely think, and probably for the first time North understood just how important and precious sleep was. He needed to lay down; he'd redo everything later, for now he needed a fresh start. He got up from his desk and went to the door. When he opened it he found a familiar white haired spirit in a position he barely recognised as: _being about to knock_. If you hadn't guessed it was a very rare sight in Santa's Workshop.

 _At least he has common sense._ North couldn't help but think bitterly. But if he felt a small surge of pride and gratitude at the sight, he didn't identify it then. _Maybe he can teach yeti._ He thought in his optimistic nature, North could never be bitter for long, but if he was stressed then he could only be optimistic for that long as well. Being stressed made him tired and/or irritable.

"Heya North." the frost boy greeted with a smile, mischievous but mostly happy, which was different because usually it was mostly mischievous. North didn't think too much on it.

The older guardian looked uncharacteristically tired - probably because he was. The winter child honestly couldn't blame him though. Phil had filled him in on what had happened. It must've been rough on the older Guardian to put so much effort in only for it to result in crystal shards; he had lost all that hard work.

 _What a waste_ Jack thought sympathetically when he'd been told the story. _Of time and good ice._ Jack didn't like ice wasted. He believed firmly in: all ice has a purpose. Needless to say that not only was this way of thinking the cause of Bunny's bitter distaste of the results of said belief - Jack didn't think he'd join his cause - but it also happened to be one of Jack's favorite mottos - Bunny didn't like that either, he thought of it as an excuse more than a belief. Jack also happened to like the motto: you can't please everyone.

"Hello Jack," North said tiredly. "Can I help you?" The Cossack yawned and rubbed his eyes. Jack studied him and then the room. Broken ice shards and papers were scattered everywhere. He didn't like to see North look so worn out. The russian almost looked _hopeless_. His eyes were dull and his poster sagged. Not the usual overzealous and confident Jack came to admire. He wished he could bring that back. If only there was some way that he could help. Wait. Broken _Ice_ shards...

"Nope, yeah uhh you look tired. You should get some rest." the winter spirit said quickly and pushed him off into the direction of his room with a slightly mischievous smile. North was tired but not so tired he didn't see that gears in Jack's head turning. The workshop really didn't need Jack's pranks right now - as amusing as they were. North simply didn't have the time or energy to deal with them.

"What are you planning?" North said exasperatedly. Jack knew North thought he was thinking of a prank, and usually the Cossack would be fine with them, because Jack knew not to go too far as to disrupt production and took necessary precautions for it - one North had praised him briefly on before Bunny went into reprimanding him for not doing the same with Easter production, Jack wasn't too worried about that though because he made far more eggs then those that caught in the crossfire which were very few. If North didn't have the energy to be slightly curious as to what he was up to and jump to conclusions - the Russian might be reckless but he was fair - then he was more tired then Jack thought, which made the winter spirit push the Cossack to his room

"Nothing." Jack said offhandedly, like there was nothing wrong. But North couldn't see the slight bit of worry that managed to make itself known on his face briefly before it vanished.

"Please no pranks, Jack." North said pleading and quietly and he just sounded so _tired_. It made Jack freeze for a moment and he let that look of concern last longer then he was normally comfortable with but he couldn't seem to care right now, not that he could control it at the moment anyway . Yup, North _really_ needed a break. Now.

"I promise." Jack said firmly and North nodded gratefully and went off on his own without Jack pushing him. Jack let the worry slip off his face and he started back to the office.

North never pleaded for Jack _not_ to do any pranks. Honestly, in the situation they currently found themselves in, Jack couldn't blame him - in any situation really if he were to be truly honest, but Jack would never disrupt production. North knew that Jack would only go far enough to not cause any real damage in production of christmas. Jack knew that he knew. So the fact North asked him - _pleaded_ him - not to means Christmas was in a fragile state here.

It didn't matter if a few toys were broken, as long as the prototype wasn't. Those prototypes were the most important thing in Toy Assembly. Without it, the yetis had no plans to make toys.

Jack adopted a steely look of determination and marched back to North's office. He'd help North no matter what. North always knew how to help him, and he was so nice and gentle about it. It was his turn to give back that kindness - especially now, because for MiM sake, that North needed it more than ever right now.

Now if only he could convince Phil of that.

The big furry creature blocked the whole doorway and had his white furry arms crossed and a look of discipline and slight curiosity in his eyes. But mostly firm discipline. As much as Jack liked Phil and was happy and grateful that North had the furry creature to keep the workshop from going up in flames. The yeti was the one with the most sense and he cared not to make more mistakes then the unavoidable ones to keep Christmas production as far ahead as it could be. He wouldn't let anymore damage come to this holiday. Even if he could be a fun stopper and worry wart sometimes.

"Don't worry." Jack reassured and held up his staff with a smile. "Can I try to help?" He didn't actually know if what he was planning would work, but he wanted to try. Phil raised a brow, he already knew what Jack was gonna try and he that look of future regret in his eye. Jack rolled his eyes. "Oh come on, there's only broken shards in there. It's not like I can make it worse, so could I at least just give it a shot?" Jack reasoned. And Phil looked at him and his uncharacteristic look of determination. Phil had only seen that look a handful of times, and with that look Jack could just about achieve anything and go past expectations. Phil sighed and stepped aside. Jack nodded proudly and marched in.

He didn't see Phil's small smile as the heavy door shut.

OoOoO

Jack looked around the large office and at the papers on the floor mixed with ice. He'd clean up later. For now he gathered some of the slightly soggy and cold papers. He looked at their complex designs and with each paper change he'd lose more and more drive.

It wasn't _just_ ice sculptures like he thought them to be. There were parts and mechanics to these so that they worked as real functional toys. He swallowed a bit. The divide and conquer technique seemed to be the best idea right now.

"Well, there's no use in wasting time." Jack mumbled to himself and went to the workbench with tools and ice. He set them all aside. On the ground in a nice pile. He could make his own ice.

Usually his ice sculptures were random and a fling of his staff. There would be icy spikes and random abstract art. But if he wanted to make a specific shape he'd just think and wave his staff. But if they were small, he'd use his hands.

He used a staff only to be a conduit of power. He could make ice and cold and frost with his mood, presence and will. His staff worked so he could channel his winter powers safely into snow and storms, so he could fulfill his duties as a winter spirit. It also acted as a connection to the wind, so he could fly and control air currents. But it was so tied to him, if it broke he'd be nearly powerless.

He set his staff aside to lean against a wall and set to work. He'd need to use his hands to make the sculpture. He idly thought of North getting frustrated because of the tiny pieces. While he could make them perfectly in his palm with the right height and width, North would have to start over if even the smallest measurement was off. No wonder it took the Cossack so long to make one. He smiled a bit and kept working.

As he put the cold ice pieces together he vaguely remembered Jamie playing with something called _Legos_. The thought of the kids and their modern technology made him look at the ice sculpture more technically, he noticed. The toys seemed very… old fashioned. He looked at the blueprints again and though the prototype had mechanics, it was about mid to late 1900 technology. Now Jack grew up in a the colonial period, when he was human. But as the Spirit of Winter, he traveled the world all the time and saw as modern technology came to life, how it worked and what it did. He also played with the children; in the field as some would say. He knew what they needed and liked. Don't get him wrong, he didn't mind old fashioned, and he knew that North was trying his best to keep up with this generation's style, but he knew the kids were expecting something more modern.

Since Jack knew of the happenings of this time, he decided to give North a quick update on these prototypes. So he did so, and as he went he made sure to jot down some key notes so North could use them on more of his prototypes. He'd give him a list later, because as much as North read the letters he received, there was no way he knew what a dirt bike was. That left him to imagine things, and then the kids would probably think of it as some kind of practical joke. Thought it would be funny to see North's interpretation of a 360 no scope drone.

Phil would come in and clean up as he worked, and quietly give Jack some advice as why some of his updates wouldn't work if he didn't update something else. That was probably the biggest roadblock, but soon they were done.

Jack then proceeded to help the yeti organize the messy office - Jack wasn't surprised to know that North wasn't the most neat person. They'd talk - well Jack would talk, and Phil would grumble but Jack understood - and joke and tell small stories about their respective job as they worked.

Soon the wind had rapt on the door to summon it's master so he could get going cause he still had a job to do. Jack waved back to Phil and he was off out the window. Phil went back to main production. They hadn't even noticed it had been a full day.

OoOoO

North woke up and slunk back into his office. Fully expecting a mess and broken prototypes, but when he opened the door there was a clean office and brand new prototypes. North looked around in awe and _wonder_ and he went over to his desk. There was a note with nice graceful handwriting. And it amazed him how much joy he felt right then.

 _Needed a small update._

How was Jack so helpful all the time?

OoOoO

 **Okayyyy! Let me just say: I love Phil and Jack's friendship/bond! Like it's honestly my favorite!I wanna do a oneshot on it, but I can't think of any prompts right now for it, so I'll put in snap shots like this when I'm in the Workshop.**

 **I think of North as a dad or uncle to Jack. Like in some fics I think of either North or Bunny as dads to him, but sometimes Bunny is more of a brother. Tooth is no doubt a mom, although I don't really ship anyone in RotG. Like they are family, but no romance. Sandy is like that uncle or older cousin. Wise but sassy and patient but still sassy.**

 **Well see you next time!**


	5. Understanding: Advice

**Lol XD! Two Updates in one day, lucky lucky! This one's shorter, but you know how I said Jack ain't no wimp in the last chapter. This fic goes a small tiny bit into that. I might make an entire oneshot on it, I just need to think of the right situation.**

 **Man writing these gives me so many ideas that I can expand on in later fics! I am already writing down prompt ideas. I have like 4 more one shot ideas so far I just need to write them. But I got them in my mind!**

 **I don't own RotG, and enjoy the story!**

OoOoO

 **Understanding: Advice**

Sometimes she wondered why she tried at all.

Tooth worked hard, day in and day out - barley taking any breaks. She never left her palace, giving orders to all her fairies at lightning speed as they zipped around her. Even when she went out to the Workshop or Warren, her work was never done. She would give orders as she went on with her trips to the North pole, making sure not a single child was left unattended. Due to the attack on Tooth Palace though, her fairies - mainly Baby Tooth, as Jack Frost had dubbed her - became more independent, so she could leave them unattended for a while and come back to _not_ total kaos.

The Fairy Queen had one of the most important jobs after all. Hope, and Wonder and Dreams - they were all temporary. They could be broken and forgotten. They could vanish or change. But memories… they'd never vanish - for you can't change the past. They will never change because of that very fact too. It wasn't temporary - albeit you could forget, but you could always remember. That's what she was created for: to help people remember what they've forgotten; what's important.

Children's memories were priceless - but she only gave a single coin in return for storing them.

They used to not complain, they used to not be disappointed to find _just_ a coin instead of their dislodged appendenge. Now they expected more then something that could only buy you a piece of gum these days - which she highly disapproved of, by the way. But coins used to be worth more. Tooth can't seem to keep up with the times, she'd sigh when she realized she wasn't as young as she looked. Coins weren't ideal but they were expected. They were a symbol of her existence. She couldn't change it over night because it was universal knowledge that: the Tooth Fairy gave you a quarter or quarter equivalent when you put a baby tooth under your pillow.

At first it didn't get to her - well it stung a little. But then more and more fairies were telling of the children's disapproval of the lack of worth the gifts she gave were. They were right a piece of gum was not even close to the same amount as a precious memory. But then she started to worry. What if they stopped believing in her? That scared her.

It scared her more when it actually happened though. Kids stopped believing in her because of the insignificant amount of money that she payed for their appendage.

Tooth was never one to sit around and let the problem churn and get worse, so she went out to seek help. Help from none other than Jack Frost. It was a well known fact Jack had spent more time with the children than any of the other Guardians. Sandy did work in the field but only when kids were sleeping. Jack, on the other hand, played and nurtured the kids, he's done so even before he was a guardian. He also had this uncanny ability to know each child's personality and name. Not to mention he was up with the latest trends - he helped North out with the toy designs sometimes. He was the optimum choice to help in the solving to her problem.

OoOoO

It was a known fact that she didn't have a lot of time to travel. With the small army she had to command and the millions of teeth she had to collect, it was obvious.

Even so, she took time to fly over to wherever the winter spirit was. It was Summer, so he should be either in the far South or far North or mountains. To her satisfaction he so happened to be in the South and in mountains. Tooth Palace was located in India and he so happened to be spreading snow at the base of the Himalayan Mountains. Perfect.

"Jack!" Tooth called out to him as she flew over, as to not startle the winter spirit with her sudden presence being right next to him. He was still on edge when they were around him, despite being 5 years, especially when either she or Sandy's presence suddenly appeared next to him. Because Sandy was quiet and she was fast. He was always aware of North and Bunny's presence though, but that was only because they couldn't fly. He often mistaken the noise she and Sandy made when they were flying as the wind, although he was getting a hang of separating the flying patterns.

"Tooth?" Jack turned around from what he was doing, giving her a happy but concerned look. Jack knew the fairy queen was busy; she rarely went out, and that was only to a set location - namly the North pole. She didn't have time to waste on figuring out where she was going or hunt down something - Jack was a very mobile spirit afterall and unpredictable, the only thing that knew where he was going was the wind. So the fact she was here must be important. "Anything I can help you with?" Jack asked trying to sound casual to the frantic fairy. He's dealt with situations like these - ones where kids were panicked about something but he didn't know what - it wouldn't be good if they both panicked and there was no level headed one. Jack usually was the level headed one with the guardians since he joined, but Bunny filled that role sometimes too; Jack figured either Aster or Sandy were the voice of reason to North and Tooth's overzealous attitudes. He was a neutral party - the only thing he and Pitch technically agreed on but for totally different situational reasons - but knew how to fill the calm position if need be.

"Yeah." the Tooth Fairy seemed to have sobered into a embarrassed shy form and Jack motioned to the edge of a small cliff so they could sit. Tooth smiled gratefully and Jack followed her maintaining a chilly but not blistering cold temperature.

"So," He said as he sat down next to her "What's up?" he didn't look at her, she didn't answer for a while trying to gather her thoughts. Jack understood, and he wouldn't pressure her. The wind took notice of his situation and died down so he wouldn't feel rushed into bringing snow somewhere.

"Well, I was just wondering…" She begun and took a deep breathe. "If there was a .. well you know ...small trinket that was, oh how do the kids' put it, _in_ these days?" she asked hopefully.

"In?" Jack raised an eyebrow. Tooth was free to talk the way she wanted, Jack didn't care. The way people said things defined them, they all said things slightly different never the same. Similar but never the same. Tooth was peppy so saying something the way she said it just now wouldn't be wrong technically. It just seemed...misplaced in Tooth's mouth. It didn't seem right.

"Well yeah. I know you help North to keep up with the latest trends - you know what children like. And I was hoping you could give me some advice as to what the children maybe want?" She asked quickly and if Jack were anyone else he wouldn't have understood her.

"So you're kind of admitting to being old?" The child in Jack just couldn't resist that little jab. Tooth furrowed her eyebrows and looked at him with an irritated and unamused look, and Jack stopped his snickering. Tooth has never been mad at him before, but he had a feeling he'd like to keep it that way.

"Not all of us were reborn at 17." She said indignantly. Jack hadn't told the guardians he died, he had just said he was reborn in his 17 year old body and didn't know how to change it. Not that he'd ever want to, but when Bunny asked how old was his body he could easily answer 17, he didn't actually know but it seemed right and they all had accepted it. 17 was the last year of technically being a kid, which made it perfect for what Jack represented. A kid having fun, but a mature older brother. Mature enough to make his own decisions but still a child. Very fitting indeed. In reality, Jack was old enough to make his own decisions and learn from his own mistakes. He was welcome to ask for help but the Guardians wouldn't but into his life or change anything. He had a system that worked, so why change it?

"Why would you need to know that? I mean all you have to do is take the kids' teeth and store their memories." Jack continued but not in a mean way, but in a calm way and Tooth briefly wondered if he's ever done this before, because he was really good at it.

"Well you see…" Tooth said quietly "I hate negating the children and well they just don't seem happy with the quarters I'm putting under their pillows, because well it doesn't seem like much." Jack didn't speak when Tooth paused but she didn't look at him, focusing her eyes on her tiny clasped hands in her lap. "I mean they are right. A quarter is not an equivalent to a memory- _their worth so much more than that._ " There was a long pause but it wasn't awkward. It was comforting - givng her time to think, showing her there was no rush. But just as it begun to feel awkward Jack spoke up.

"Tooth don't change what your doing."Jack said calmly and Tooth looked up.

"But-"

"North is a different situation. We all have different situation. A quarter is fine for now." Jack didn't look at her and gave a small smile to the tundra beneath them. "Sometimes people won't appreciate what you do, and it sucks but it's a part of life. People will view things differently based on their outlook and their personality affects that. You have an important job, and maybe the kids' don't see the full extent of your work, but just know you _help them_. Kids' might not see it, but you do. _We_ do. You work so hard for them, and I'm willing to bet there are a lot more that love what you do then not. Just don't mind the haters. You still protect them, but if what their saying is getting you down - then don't listen." Jack looked up at her and smiled a large smile with teeth - she always loved his teeth, the way a child would. " _We still love you._ "

And he was referring to the guardians. Tooth made a small smile and gave Jack a light hug. He seemed to not know what to do, he was a bit shocked. Tooth didn't care and held on. That was the first time she ever heard him say _we_. No matter how independent they'd let Jack be, he was still a kid, he was sweet like one and had justification to act like one too. He didn't do it often and that's not the way the guardians viewed him because he never acted like a child much. But when he did it was at the best times. It made those times special, and Jack would do anything to keep them like that.

"Thank you Jack." she whispered and let a few tears fall. Jack returned the hug lightly and gently.

"No problem." he responded, they pulled back and Jack looked her in the eye "If there's anything else, you know you can come to me for advice." He smiled brightly but it soon turned into his trademark mischievous look. Tooth laughed and nodded.

"Thanks. I'm going back to work. Thank you again Jack!" She waved and Jack waved back. And she flew off.

OoOoO

It only hit Tooth as she was flying back. It made her stop and look back at the mountain in the distance. Winter was cold and uncomfortable and bitter. But winter could also be beautiful and magical, and Jack tried to make it fun, but no one could deny the fact that winter was probably the crulest season.

How many times Jack been deprecated for his work?

OoOoO

 **Okay we all can admit that Tooth can act a little rashly sometimes. It's fine to ask for help, and if you need it then I advise to seek it out, because no matter how prideful you are nobody gets through life alone ;)**


	6. Understanding: Reality

**Hewwo! Yeah I didn't update yesterday, but I updated twice last time so I figured that was okay. Sowwy -**

 **So anyways a few minor things. I just wanted to address the issue about the Southern and Northern hemisphere having opposite seasons and what not. Yeah, I know that exists, but it's too hard to write any stories if Jack's working all the time. So I guess you could say this is a slight AU where everywhere is the same season, but not everywhere gets snow. They'll still get the same amount of snowfall as they normally would, just maybe at a different time. We're going by Northern hemisphere standards here. I don't know what you do in the Southern hemisphere, but you know we Northern hemisphere people are pretty weird too. Sorry, I always meant to address this problem, I just forget.**

 **Okay on a more story related note: this is darker then the others. Like much darker themes are in this. It is similar to the last one, but not quite. There is viloence mentioned, but not actual violence. And there is death. So uhm, if you feel at all uncomfortable, the next story is kinda more fluffy. I'm not good at fluff more angst, so this was easy for me to write. So you'll be seeing me in my element, even if this isn't so much angsty as I would normally be - I don't even think this can be considered angst.**

 **I'll leave it up to you to see it how it is.**

 **Enjoy the story :)**

OoOoO

 **Understanding: Reality**

There was such a thing as being _too_ good at your job. Like you're so hardworking and/or love your job so much it somehow backfires, and you or someone else suffers the repercussions because of it. Sandy, for one, never thought he could 'over do' his job. That was how it had been when he was born and a few nice centuries after. The better the dream, the harder people worked. The bigger the dream, the more hope had been set into the children's minds. The more real the dreams seemed, the more expectation the children had for themselves.

But recently, it had set them up for failure. You see dreams evolve much like everything else in the world. Sandy's gift had evolved into something big and uncontrollable. Sandy's dreams were supposed to play people's goals and wishes in their minds while they slept. But recently Sandy has noticed that they were not doing what they were intended to do. They were intended to give a person some hope or a clear vision of their goal. To help them achieve it. That's the way it's been, and Sandy had thought will always be. To achieve anything you had to work hard. But suddenly what other individual people think mattered a lot and affected actions, that could hurt one's chances of achieving one's goal. Suddenly they lose sight of their real desire and become miserable or at least never happy, not _truly_. People start criticizing them and then it makes the matter worse. Kids these days had a bad habit of not telling anyone their dreams to look 'cool' or not following through with whatever they wanted, because it was too 'embarrassing'. Or they'd get competitive and only one's dream would come true.

People affected each other and got in the way of dreams, especially teenagers. School got harder, expectations higher and stress was at its peak. Eventually they lost sleep or forgot to eat. They'd be tired and unhealthy, and as a Guardian it was his job to protect kids. He tried his best, but then the dreams the teens would have would only seem to remind them of what they couldn't achieve. And if the kids' wouldn't even sleep how could he do his job? Since when had the newest generation been so negative?

Just when he thought it couldn't get any worse, then came the real knife to the heart.

Suicide.

It wasn't foreign to Sandy - he'd heard it happen before, just not to this extent - but the fact of the matter was: he'd set them up for this. At least, that's all he could think about as he saw the remains of the boy's body on the bloody train tracks - well barley bloody, the rest of his remains must have been swept up by the train.

If he hadn't implanted hope, if he hadn't been so real, if he hadn't encouraged him to follow his dreams - Sandy wouldn't be doing his job. That was his job, to encourage kids to follow their dreams, hopes and wishes. To make them real. Dreams to reality. That was his goal. It didn't happen often - he knew. He just likes to believe it did. It would turn out better than this. _Anything_ was better than this. Maybe if he hadn't done his job the child would still be alive.

He was supposed to be a light. His gift was supposed to be beautiful. But he even the most beautiful things hid dark secrets. Secrets that could kill. Only if you looked at it at an angle - that, in Sandy's case, was very narrow - Sandy tried to avoid you could see his darkness. It was only at times like these, when he was alone that he looked at this certain angle. The angle of negativity and death.

Just then the air turned slightly colder, but not uncomfortably. More like cautiously easing into a chilly night instead of a frigid wind gusting over and making him feel that much more irritated. He'd thank the frost spirit for it, but he couldn't speak - he didn't feel like taking much anyway, even if he could.

"Nice night?" Sandy looked back for only a moment before his eyes went to the bloody tracks again.

He wanted to say _'No. Don't you see it, Jack? Don't you see the mess I've made.'_ In Sandy's opinion: dying for your dream was the saddest way to die, especially if you didn't achieve it - and this boy _didn't_ \- cause you go through all that effort and for what? Nothing. And there isn't a second chance, because even if they're just kids, life really doesn't care. It made him wonder if death was a bit kinder than life. For some people it seemed to be an escape. A terrible one, but nonetheless a _way out_. Dreaming was supposed to be another _better_ escape… but it didn't always work. And these were the repercussions.

It was autumn, November actually, Jack was probably getting ready for his season to start. He didn't show anything to indicate any kind of rush or hurry or any emotion really - not even scorn or distaste. He was just _silent_. But if Jack noticed anything about his job - namly the bloody tracks - he didn't say anything about it. In fact Jack didn't say anything, and Sandy's vision never left the drying red tracks, so he just assumed that Jack was looking at them too. Looking at his failure. Sandy sighed. He'd better get back to his job.

As he was floating away however, Jack then spoke up.

"It happens." Sandy looked back for a minute confused and slightly enraged but mostly confused. In the back of his mind he knew where this was going, but that was too far back there for him to understand it clearly. There were just too many things going on in his head. Jack continued "You can't save them all." Jack said.

Sandy wanted to get angry, but there was something about the lack of emotion that made him wait. He thought Jack was hard to read before, he was impossible to read now. His level headedness had somehow convinced him to here the winter teen out until he was done - but just barely.

"They're human. They'll die eventually." Jack said finally. There was no misinterpreting those words. Jack didn't have a double meaning - not when he was like this, and anyone even the wind had rarely seen him like this. Just blunt concise wording. To the point. All truth and no bias. No sugarcoating it. And even if no one - not even Jack himself - wanted to hear it, they needed to. Someone had to say it, and if no one would - and no one _would_ \- he will.

Now Sandy was known for his patients more than the other guardians. He never just jumped into things like North. He was never fleeting like Tooth. And he certainly never got mad and say regrettable things like Bunny. He certainly was the last one to ever _punch_ anyone for what they said. But Sandy was just so confused and hurt and Jack's lack of emotion - _understanding_ \- was seriously enough to push him over the edge.

That was the first and only time Jack's ever seen Sandy _truly_ enraged.

Straight in the gut, and you wouldn't have guessed it hurt like hell, but Jack still didn't make a sound. He understood why Sandy did what he did, and in that state of mind he'd punch himself too. He _has_. But when Sandy finally caught up with what was going on and his tiny fist lodged just below the rib cage of the winter spirit - was Jack always this skinny? - he started to show anguish. Sandy couldn't cry - he was a wishing star afterall - but Jack felt the anguish and wrapped his arms around the smaller man and knelt down - much like he'd do to a kid. Sandy's hands came out of the frost teen's stomach and wrapped around his back as much as he could.

It said so many things.

 _I'm sorry._

 _It hurts._

 _No one deserves this._

 _Why couldn't I save him? Any of them?_

 _Why did this have to happen?_

And Jack just hugged tighter cause he understood. "I'm sorry. But this is reality Sandy. Dreams are an escape from that, and humans need it. Kids need more because it gives them hope. And maybe, one day, they can change reality. But today, _right now_ , this is it. It sucks, I know, but we're gonna deal with it." And there was something different about Jack's voice. There was no lack of emotion, but there seemed to be only understanding in his voice. Nothing else. No anguish, no heartbreak, nothing but understanding.

When they finally released each other to be on there way Sandy had to wonder: What had the winter spirit have to go through to sound and look like he had. How many red bodies were on his hand. Winter was a cause of death, there were more casualties in the colder months of the year afterall.

How many times had Jack regretted his own work?

OoOoO

 **Sooo yeah. A little darker as I said. The last chapter was talking about who other people don't appreciate their work. This one is talking about the consequenes of their work. I know it's a stretch, but people overextend themselves sometimes. Especially to please other people. It can get to be too much and they just break. Just please know: Death should always be the last way out. Before you try anything just please think about all the reasons you should live. If you can't think of any and still find death the best option then at least tell someone. No one should die alone, and I mean no one. So tell someone and I'm sure whomever you tell** _ **will**_ **find a reason for you to live. I'm not saying anyone should kill themselves, I'm saying instead of finding all the reasons to die, you should find all the reasons to live :)**

 **Until next time!**


	7. Understanding: Silence

**Hewwo! Don't get used to this, but here is the final chapter. You all know I don't update like this often, so please don't expect it. Cause I'm a slow-ass writer and nya'll know that.**

 **Anyway, since this is the final chapter to my Understanding Arch, it's gonna be written slightly different. There are a lot of hidden meanings here, or maybe a few, I didn't bother to count. So let's see if you can figure it out.**

 **Enjoy the reading :)**

OoOoO

 **Understanding: Silence**

Jack didn't know what is was, but he was forgetting something. Something important.

He just had that feeling. He knew he was forgetting or missing something, but he just didn't know _what_. It was that feeling you get in the back of your head that was nagging and taunting you that you were forgetting something but you couldn't place what it was no matter how hard you think, or how much of a headache it causes you. And you couldn't concentrate on anything no matter how hard you tried because you _had_ to figure out what you were forgetting.

Jack sighed and put the book he was reading down. He was currently at the North pole, and he knew he wouldn't be getting any snow days for the next few days. It was summer and it's spirit was going all out with the heat waves. He had a feeling that global warming was to blame for the massively hot temperatures in the recent years too.

He took out his small book of snowflakes so he could draw in it when a folded piece of paper fell out of his hoodie pocket. He opened the thin paper gently and found some random designs he'd sketched. But these weren't random ideas that popped into his head and he quickly jotted down. These were carefully designed and thought of , over hours - more like hour - of hard thinking, and driven by the sheer _boredom_ that summer brought him. Then it hit him.

He had to give Bunny some designs for next Easter. The designs were done, they were all folded up in his pocket - maybe he should get a bag, that didn't seem very professional. Bunny had asked him for new designs and at first he just laughed and that really didn't give the rabbit a clear answer but his pride wouldn't allow him to ask the winter spirit again. Jack had eventually did it, but he just didn't want to promise anything incase he wasn't able to fine time. Turns out he had all the time in the world, so he would do it - mostly out of boredom. That must be what he was missing, but it still felt like that wasn't it _entirely_.

He took out more pieces of paper and straightened them out and stacked them. He could go out the window but just as he was about to fly the door to the library opened. It was North.

"Jack? Where are you going?" North asked. Normally North wouldn't care, Jack was a free spirit and could take care of himself well. But Jack wasn't surprised to see his concern, it was too hot for the winter spirit to be out and about.

"I gotta give some designs to Bunny, I'll be right back." Jack said casually. North tensed and Jack noticed. He looked back at North with a raised brow.

"It is hot, no?" North said evenly, but there was something about it that made Jack narrow his eyes suspiciously.

Now Jack quietly prided himself in the fact pretty damn good liar. Probably the best. He could hide just about anything, from emotions to Bunny's boomarang and still seem totally innocent. He got away with far more than the guardians realized. So therefore ,to him ,everybody else in comparison was terrible at it. Especially the Guardians. So he knew when one of them was lying, and he felt insulted, not because North was trying to keep something from them - he'd be a hypocrite if he said that - because they actually thought they could lie and _he'd not notice_? Oh no, that was his area of expertise. No roll reversing allowed.

Usually North had no reason for lying, so if he was something was up. Something that would affect him enough for North to _resort_ to lying - cause honestly he, and the other guardians but especially North and Tooth, _hated_ lying more than being lied to. Everyone had their reasons, Jack can respect that more than anyone. Doesn't mean he'd let his pride get out of the way though.

He looked at North with an unresponsive, unemotional face, and North was already breaking under the pressure which was very uncharacteristic for the usually jolly man - he was a Russian Bandit before a gift giving children lover after all. "Well yeah, but I'll cut down the middle of the pacific and I'll only be on the surface for 5 minutes. The Warren is always a cool enough temperature. I'll be fine." Jack said blandly and North seemed a bit more tense. The temperature dropped slightly, not a threat not even a warning. Just enough to say I know. He turned around and North cracked.

"Fine." he said and Jack smiled a little. North looked at him, the kid could be scary if he wanted to be. He'd be a master interrogator. "Don't go to the Warren, Bunny have no good day."

"Why?"

North sighed "It is the day his clan vanquished. Well, two days ago technically. But he need time to mourn. Leave him be." Jack furrowed his brow.

"Two days?" Jack mumbled and had a concerned look on his face. It shouldn't take _that_ long to mourn, if it had just happened he'd understand. But it's been _centuries_. It should only take a day out of respect by now, not a few days. He'd get Bunny up to his normal self. "Well, I'll just give him the designs. It will only take a second, he probably won't even know I'm there." Jack said with smile that hid what he was thinking to North. It worked.

"He ignore you or snap. Do not rile him up. Please." North warned in a worried tone.

"When does he not." Jack said happily as he laughed and Noth gave him an incredulous look, like he wasn't all for the quick visit. Maybe cause he wasn't. Oh well, Jack could do this solo - he always has. Even if North _was_ for the plan, it was expected of him to.

"Who knows. This might even cheer ol' Cotton tail up?" Jack said cheerily, and blast off with the wind. North could only shake his head.

OoOoO

E. Aster Bunnymund was officially gone from the planet. When Jack had arrived at the Warren he found absolutely no sign of the giant rabbit.

Now Jack could've just given the designs to the golem, like a normal person would and be on his way. No thought. No mischief. But if he'd done that, then he couldn't live up to his title as _Number one on the Naughty List_ \- which despite popular belief he actually liked to be on.

Jack did, however, have a respect for the deceased. As the Herald of Winter, it was plain obvious that there were more death and destruction in winter then all the other seasons - although summer did have some pretty nasty forest fires. I mean the outskirts of San Francisco were nearly torched last night.

So yes, he did understand if and why Bunny wanted to mourn, but as he thought earlier: it had been many _many centuries_. A day for respect was only needed. If Jack had done this over all the people he's killed by accident, he'd never get anything done. So what if the rest of the Guardians were okay with the mourning for days on end, _he was not_. It _had_ to be unhealthy for him.

When Jack had finally found the Guardian of Hope, he looked... _hopeless_. The rabbit was just sitting under a tree staring into a spring with a lifeless expression in his eyes. Yup, Jack was putting an end to this.

Thing is, he couldn't speak. He wanted to. He wanted to tell Bunny to get up and back to painting his eggs. He wanted to throw his designs in the Pookas furry face and tell him to get to it. He really did...for the first 5 seconds he stood next to Bunny, and then he sat down. Bunny made no move to acknowledge him, and Jack didn't even think he knew that the frost boy was there. Making a sound seemed _disrupting_. Even if that was what Jack had come to do - disrupt his mourning - it just doesn't seem to be the right way to approach this. So Jack just sat there in silence.

Jack was honestly surprised he didn't want to talk. He'd spent 300 years in silence. With someone there silence seemed like a waste of a good conversation, and Jack wanted to believe that more than he ever did right now, but he couldn't. This wasn't the painful silence he'd endured all his life. It was peaceful.

It took Jack all of 30 seconds to understand that this would probably help Bunny more than anything else he may have tried. He had no choice but to acknowledge that, for he was frozen in place for now. Okay, he'd make this work. He already had a pretty good idea of what he had to do. He smirked internally, if he wanted the plan in his mind to work, he couldn't show any emotion.

His plan was effective immediately.

Bunny, on the other hand, noticed the frost boy, even if he didn't acknowledge him. Bunny wanted to get mad and yell at him to get out and _leave him alone_. But he couldn't, much like Jack's inability to speak, Bunny didn't want to disturb the silence _first_.

North and Tooth had tried to 'help' him at this time of year, but they only aggravated Bunny and he'd snap at North and ignore Tooth and they just made the situation _worse_. But Jack's presence made it… somehow _better._

Bunny knew subconsciously that Jack's season was a season commonly known for death. He'd probably seen more death then the other Guardians, maybe even more then himself. And he'd continue to see death and destruction cause by _himself_. He couldn't control that part of winter though, it's not his fault. So yes, as the years go by he'd _eventually_ see more deaths than him. Maybe not now, but he was certainly close.

Jack knew what it was like to see death and not be able to do anything about it. Even if Aster didn't want to believe he had anything in common with the kid, they shared that burden.

So Bunny just didn't speak and fell asleep in the silence.

OoOoO

The first thing he acknowledge when he woke up was the smell. Carrots. And the second was a direct ricocheted off the first. He was hungry. It was a weird feeling to him but it made sense. Cause unlike Jack, Bunny didn't get his energy from the wind, rather _hope_ but right now Bunny was _hopeless_ so that only left one other thing keeping the Pooka from starving to death: food. And Jack seemed to be absolutely certain the Pooka had none of it. Because even though he just seemed to be sitting there looking casual next to the rabbit with his staff. There was this sudden urge in the air that he had to eat, and Bunny couldn't do anything but agree with it. It made sense after all.

But the winter herald wasn't doing anything. Jack wasn't fiddling with the staff or drawing or reading or doing perpetually _anything_ except breathing - he didn't even look like he was doing much of that, but then again he didn't need to. He just seemed to be lost in thought, but at the same time alert. Bunny knew he wasn't _that_ lost in thought and somehow knew he was being watched, but not critically. Which made him didn't make him uncomfortable but not exactly comfortable. Jack hadn't made any move or showed any signs of noticing his awakening, yet Bunny knew that Jack knew he was now awake.

Somehow Jack had spoken to Bunny - demanded he eat and drink more like - without saying a word, or even giving him any looks. Just the air around him spoke volumes and Bunny wondered if this was how Jack asks for things. The air around him… because Bunny's never once heard Jack ask for _anything_. Not memories or food or believers or rides on the wind - not permission either, Bunny had scolded him for that but he still never asked. Not even acknowledgment, although the Guardians still somehow just _knew_ that was what Jack wanted - sans food, they were still working on it. He'd never asked or implied anything in his speech - not even drop hints, which made getting christmas gifts hard for him, or at least that's what Bunny heard through North's complaining, and the only thing that ever bothered to just _feel the air_ was air itself. The wind gave him rides, but he'd never ask. He never demanded you'd just have to _know_.

Yeah, the kid was way more complicated than he'd ever expected or gave him credit for.

Another thing, the winter spirit seemed so natural about this. Like he'd been in a situation like this before, because Bunny would damn anyone who told him that Jack's _never_...done ... this? Bunny didn't even know what _this_ was? But whatever it could be: Jack had surly done it before. Multiple times. Bunny was sure, but he'd never ask Jack. What _this_ was or even how he had gotten so good at it.

He took the carrot and munched on it slowly. When he was finished Jack's lips turned upward a little - like a big brother watching his siblings amusing antics, wishing they'd never grow up so he could take of them and things could just _stay like this_ \- and Bunny then noticed the water next to where the carrot had been, and he drank that too. Jack's smile increased a little and Bunny couldn't help but feel indigent. There was no way he was acknowledging that Jack was taking care of _him_ like he was a kit pining for his parents.

 _Wait._ Was that what _this_ was?

 _No way._

OoOoO

The last time he woke up to see Jack, he felt the same indigent feeling he did when he went to sleep. Except this time tenfold.

Jack had been 'taking care' of him for what? 3 days now? But Bunny just looked at him, he hadn't made any aggravated signs, but he just _knew_ that Jack felt his childish aggravation. _Like a 4 year old asking to stay up late._ His mind supplied in Jack's voice and the worst part is he could actually imagine it coming out of his mouth. He actually thought it did for a second.

"Ye're _NOT_ taken care o' me Frostbite!" he yelled before he could stop it. And somehow he could see Jack saying _I won! You talked first!_ He knew Jack didn't but the look on his face did as he floated up.

"Now who said _that_ Cottontail?" Jack said mockingly, knowingly, like he knew what Bunny was thinking.

"Stop playin' mind games ya gumby." Bunny grumbled and stomped away.

" I like games."

"Tha's not a _real_ game ya drongo."

"Yet it has the word _'game'_. How misleading." Jack shook his head in mock disappointment. And then his head shot up with a smile, that would be disarming to anyone but his target. Bunny was the target. "Still _I won_." he said as he left. And Bunny couldn't help but think _to what?_ And the fact that Jack seemed to know _everything_ going on in that silence.

He'd never lose again.

OoOoO

"Mission accomplished. Let's see how North chews on that?" The wind couldn't help but give a small flip in it's currents, Jack flowing along with it and the sounds of his laughter being carried throughout it.

If there was anything he knew, it was: _his silence_.

OoOoO

 **Jack is a lot smarter than anyone gives him credit for. At least I like to think of him as such. He's clever and cunning, and knows how to make just about any situation a game. So yeah.**

 **Well that wraps up this arch, though as I was writing it I got more then a few prompt ideas, so this is only the beginning. I hope to make my next chapters longer then these though. So yeah.**

 **OH and before I forget. When I came back the other day I checked my email and saw a bunch of you followed and reviewed and favorited and I was like 'well would ya look at that?' So I just really wanted to thank everyone who did that. I don't know, it seems wrong not to, and I really don't wanna seem ungrateful, especially to those of you who take the time to do that. Not gonna lie, it makes me happy.**

 **Until next time!**


	8. Judgement Error

**Hewwo! So yeah another story! And this one is a prompt from someone else! So I decided to do it and omg I had so much fun! I got it half way through revising my Understand arch, and I honestly could wait to get to work on it.**

 _ **Prompt from Bunnymund(guest)**_

 **Prompt:Bunny or someone gets irritated with Jack and say some things that shouldn't have been said. Jack is hurt but doesn't show it, but Phil can tell. Phil tells off the offender and throws them out of the shop and refuses to let them back in. Basically, HURT TURNS FLUFFY**

 **Enjoy the story!**

 **OoOoO**

 **Judgment Error**

Technically this wasn't his fault.

Sure he'd set it up, but he wasn't the one who _used_ it premature - he would never just go into a prank with half baked materials, that was unprofessional and childish. The ice needed time to set in, and no yetis would be coming in this room until after Christmas, so the ice had time to stick. When he'd set it up the ice was slippery and easy to move around, and it would be like that until a week til' Christmas before it would finally stick and only Jack could remove it - which he would once his prank was set into motion. He worked hard on this prank and it'll take a month before it's fully ready - he had to factor in his seasonal jobs. He had designed it so it wouldn't be enough to get in the way of production, but be enough to keep him on the top spot of the naughty list - he saw it as some kind of game that he won every year. Taking Christmas was never _ever_ his goal before, and it never will be.

He took all the precautions so the yetis not finding out about his little 'surprise' premature but not the elves.

In hindsight, maybe he should've just put it in his room and locked that door. But then again the yetis had a tendency to come in his room and tidy up - even if he never made a mess. He very rarely slept at the pole, much less actually _sleep_ \- something Sandy found his personal goal to 'remedy', he was honestly fine.

In any case, state or la, this wasn't his fault so much as the elves. Still it was an _ice_ ramp and the only one who could've possibly created it was obvious. And that was true, so he didn't mind partial blame, but not _all_ of it. Because honestly it was a horribly executed prank, 4 year olds could've done it better, and Jack did _not_ want this disastrous, shamefully executed prank on _his_ name. It would tarnish his credibility as a prankster and number one on the naughty list.

The worst part was he was the last to find out that his creation was used for mass destruction of a small part of the workshop and a massacre of a little over 100 robots. North was running around now busier than he'd been before, and the yetis were torn between cleaning and making extra toys. When Jack had flown through the open balcony to see the hectic mess he was confused beyond anything else. The workshop was hectic but never _this_ hectic. His curiosity spiked when he was picked up by his hood and was looking at Bunny like a baby kitten.

"Ya have any idea the mess ya made?!"Shouted the rabbit and Jack was even more confused as the rabbit kept barrateing him. He didn't recognise the Aussie Slang - so he didn't understand 88% of what the Pooka was saying - but he did pick up 'prank' and 'ice ramp'. He had an idea of what happened, but as much as he wanted to say that it wasn't his fault - which it wasn't, Bunny was exaggerating the details he was sure - the Pooka seemed like he needed to take some stress off. Jack figured he'd been here for a few days now, trying to help North clean up the mess and get back on track. But if the Rabbit just _shut up_ for a second and let him explain, he could help before he had to go and do his job again. This lecture was wasting time that could be spent on making the odd robot or sweeping the ice into the balcony. But if Jack snapped, the Bunny would go on a longer tantrum then he already was about not interrupting him when he was giving him an earful and a slight headache - because he's heard all this before - and things would never get done. So he just waited and sort of half drowned out what the Pooka was saying.

"Ya not even listening, are ya Frostbite?" the Pooka said irritably and Jack made the smart answer of 'huh' because he honestly wasn't. He had to review snowball tactics, cause when Jamie and his friends wanted a snowball fight, you got to expect full blown _war_ and Jack wouldn't be beaten at the game _he_ invented. He drowned Bunny out like 15 minutes ago in favor of not losing his title and pride. Bunny seemed to burst with anger at the answer " Ya don't even care the mess ya've made!?" Bunny screamed at him.

"I am aware of the obvious mess, but I didn't make it." Jack said sarcastically, though he didn't raise his voice like Bunny. He knew it was half rhetorical, but if he'd answer this then maybe he could stop looking at the mess and _help_.

"Really? Then who coulda made a giant 6 foot ice ramp?" Bunny asked disbelievingly.

"I made it, but I didn't put it _there_." Jack said gesturing to the ice ramp. "I put it in there." He said pointing to the empty workshop room.

"Yeah, and that room ain't in any use, ya gumby. We all know ya're smarter than tha'!" Bunny exclaimed and Jack had to smirk a bit.

"Ya, I am. But it wasn't supposed to be ready until just before Christmas." Jack said smartly, but then realized that came out wrong, he opened his mouth to clarify but Bunny beat him to it.

"So ya were planin' on ruinin' North's Holiday anyway!" Bunny accused, dropping Jack who landed gracefully on his feet.

"No I-"

"I don' wanna 'ear it. All ya ever think about is fun, not givin' any attention ta safety or hard work!" Bunny said and Jack looked at him dead in the eye.

"I'll clean up the mess." he said calmly, it wouldn't do if he showed Bunny that he was feeling slightly hurt or guilty.

"Nah, you'd jus' make a bigger one." Bunny said angrily and Jack winced a bit. Ouch. Like that struck a chord. Hard. It really wasn't as bad as Bunny was saying it was. He'd offer to help, and he'd always clean up his pranks in the workshop as a sign of respect to North - but they honestly weren't ever that messy, the elves had set it up horribly wrong. But Bunny didn't need to say that. Sure he made a mess but he knew how to clean it up.

' _300_ has _taught you something, Frost.'_ that dark voice in his mind said, and Jack wanted to grimace because he hadn't heard that voice in a long time, and he forgot just how terrible and merciless it could be. 50 years before he joined the Guardians, he had dulled it down by constantly focusing on his job and winter and fun. It had been a creation of his loneliness and self doubt, so when he joined the Guardians he wasn't at all surprised by the disappearance of it. He barely noticed and he was relieved. For the past 5 years it had been completely _gone_. Now it was back, and it seemed even more menacing and terrible and merciless now.

He looked at all the yetis, was no one gonna vouch for him? I mean he wasn't even here, and they all knew that Jack liked to be there when his plan was set in motion. Didn't they? At least Phil did, but was Phil even here or was he too busy to come to - what Jack now dubbed as - 'his unjust judgment of the easter kangaroo'. Catchy name.

That's when Phil stepped up, speak of the big white hairy devil. He started to grumble and point to Jack and the ice ramp and mess and shook his head and pointed to the floor and a few elves. Bunny didn't seem to get exactly what he was saying because he looked at Jack again, newly refurbished anger in his eyes. ' _Oh great. The kangaroo seems to have new painting material. Phil what did you even say?'_

"You froze elves?!" Bunny seems angrier then he should be and Jack just thought the Pooka was just using every excuse to yell at him. Jack would've laughed, because of how wrong Bunny must have been in his translating, cause even if he couldn't se what Phil was doing, there was no way the white furry creature would complain about frozen elves. The yetis literally _encouraged_ Jack to do so, but North didn't like it so much so he didn't do it as often as he would like - but still pretty often. Still...

"I always freeze elves." Jack said blandly and unimpressed. He wasn't lying. Wrong answer.

"Why ya-" the rabbit didn't have time to complete his assault as he was picked up by the scruff, unable to finish his advances he just flailed there for a few seconds.

"Ya gumby! Put me down!" Bunny said indignantly. Phil held the anthropomorphic rabbit in one hand and picked up an elf in the other and gestured to it then to the ice ramp and Jack finally got what he was saying. He smiled a little.

"He says the elves used the ice ramp." Jack translated. Phil nodded, and put the now not so wiggly Bunny down. Phil grumbled a few more things to which Jack just shook his head and answered.

"No, until after Christmas, you guys don't go there until North is back from his trip, so it made the perfect prep room." Jack chirped happily, and then mumbled under his breath something about 'elf proofing' and 'collateral damage'. Something Phil really didn't want to think on for too long but he grumbled something back. "Yeah, I'll make sure to not set it up near holidays. Ya don't need to lecture me." Jack said with a mischievous, but slightly annoyed look on his face as he gestured to bunny " _again_ " he added foxily with a big grin on his face to match. Honestly what did Phil take him for? He loved children, but just because he was and still is one the naughty list - he had gotten right back on it with that first prank, good times with fur and permanent paint - he wouldn't take Christmas away from everyone. No matter how those stupid Christmas movies say otherwise, he loved North.

Phil then looked at Bunny pointly, the look clearly said an apology was in order to be exchanged. The now indigent Pooka was just crossing his arms and looking away.

"Nah, mate. He still was gonna nail ya…" Bunny's weak and honestly pitiful excuse, it really wasn't all that much of an excuse not to say sorry. Jack honestly didn't care, because if Bunny could blush - and trust me Jack has imagined that, it's hilarious - he would be doing it right now, and hat was payback enough to Jack. Bunny being wrong is 15% of what Jack lives for - the other 85% involve winter and pranks and fun.

Phil obviously did care, as now there was a Pooka ice sculpture on the balcony of North's workshop.

OoOoO

 **I just love Phil and Jack friendship! Thank you so much for all your nice comments and stuff too! Man I'm waaay too happy for Monday, but at school I was like a zombie all day, and when I got home I was super excited to get this done. SO I am human!**

 **Until next time!**


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